Cartwright’s Journal Out: Ron Dart, CEM, Leroy Neff, COGaIC, Kiswahili, Rod Reynolds

The latest issue (#158, print date January 31, 2013) of The Journal was sent out electronically and just received. Some items about it are in this post in the order they appeared in the issue.

One item reported about is the that CEM is trying to start something up again, plus it had this to say about the health of its founder, Ronald Dart”

Mrs. Dart said she sees improvements in Mr. Dart’s condition virtually every day. He fell and injured his head four years ago. (See “Ron Dart Recovering After Injury,” THE JOURNAL, issue No. 138, dated June 17, 2010.) Mr. Dart’s memory is on the mend, she said.

There was an article on Leroy Neff, who died recently (see also eport of Leroy Neff’s death and Leroy Neff death and funeral announcement):

Lester Leroy Neff, 90, died after a long illness. Mr. Neff had retired after a long career as an employee of the Radio/Worldwide Church of God and Ambassador College. He graduated from Ambassador College, Pasadena, in 1959. He served as an evangelist, church pastor and treasurer in the WCG and taught Bible classes, including Survey of the Old Testament, at Ambassador College, Big Sandy. He was a member of the WCG, United Church of God and most recently Church of God a Worldwide Association. He was a cellist. He wrote a book that is still in use by some Churches of God, Basic Principles of Song Leading (available from the Intercontinental Church of God at tinyurl. com/neffsongs). Mr. Neff’s friend Steve McNeely of Hawkins, Texas, said Mr. Neff was anything but ‘flamboyant.” He was a “quiet leader” who “possessed the most beautiful, deep, resonant and unmistakable speaking voice.” He was “a plodder who moved in a purposeful straight line until the job was done.” Read more of Mr. McNeely’s memories of Mr. Neff at tinyurl.com/ leroyneff. Mr. Neff is survived by sons Larry Neff of Denver, Colo., and Don Neff of San Jose, Calif., daughter Carol Hegar of Big Sandy; seven grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. Mr. Neff’s wife, Maxine, died in 2010.

An article related to David Hulme’s COGaIC by Wade Fransson had the following:

I first met Mr. Hulme in 1982. My close friend Jay Brothers and I were Ambassador College students and roommates when Jay shared that he had met with David, who had just been promoted to evangelist and head of communications and public affairs…

Around 2004 David gave a sermon titled “Government, Gospel and Godliness” in which it was evident that his Church of God an International Community (CGIC) supported the old WCG government-of-God-from-thetop- down doctrine. And he was clearly at the top. Yes, it appears to be the same sermon that recently inspired Steve Andrews to challenge David’s approach, and apparently led to Steve’s disfellowshipping. (See two related articles including “David Hulme Disfellowships S. Andrews; P. Nathan Quits” in issue No. 157 of THE JOURNAL, dated Dec. 31, 2013.)

The drop of a pin

Others have followed. Some were cast out. Still others resigned in protest. In 2004, however, I was pretty much the only minister who complained. I responded with a sermon, “Change, the Church, and the Comforter,” in which I read scriptures not covered in David’s sermon. The ones I chose emphasized the dramatic transformation of the New Testament church as Paul focused it outwardly. He prepared the church for the coming destruction of the temple by highlighting the Holy Spirit as the teacher, with decisions made by people who, under its influence, come together and agree. Naturally I was not invited to speak again for some time, and, when I was, I chose to speak about the arrogance of claiming one’s own organization to be the work of God.

There was a split of COGaIC in late 2013 (see Shake-ups at COGaIC and the bigger vision and COGaIC shake-up leading to another group? and Former COGaIC leaders to have Bible Study today, Sabbath services tomorrow). I do not have confidence that the split will result in either COGaIC or the main split being particularly Philadelphian.

Dixon Cartwright and I spoke on the telephone last week, and he put this also in The Journal:

Multiple languages

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif.— Bob Thiel, founder and overseer of the Continuing Church of God, announced the CCG’s magazine is going out in multiple languages: English, Spanish, Tagalog, Mandarin Chinese and Kishahili. “We also have a partial translation of the January–March 2014 edition of our Bible News Prophecy magazine into the Telugu and French languages,” Dr. Thiel told THE JOURNAL. An area of particular influence for Dr. Thiel’s ministry is China. “Chinese television has frequently linked to our Web sites the last few months,” he said.

Here is a link to the Kiswahili announcement, which also has a link to the magazine: Bible News Prophecy Magazine: Blood Moons: Will Jesus Return in 2014? Now also in Kiswahili!

Rod Reynolds, who left LCG in 2013 and formed his own group was also mentioned:

Rod Reynolds and members of his family founded a church fellowship in August 2013 called Church of God Messenger.

Also in The Journal there were the usual letters to the editor and advertisements, various comments, and opinion articles.

The Journal itself is available by paid subscription (though Dixon Cartwright says some subscriptions are free to those who cannot afford it) and often tends to take a non-Philadelphian era view of certain church matters.